A Toronto property manager facing first-degree murder charges in connection to last June’s execution-style shooting on a patio in Little Italy returned to Canada on Thursday.

Martino Caputo, 39, was arrested in February in Cologne, Germany, where he was on vacation and has been in custody ever since, his lawyer, Greg Lafontaine, said Thursday.

“He waived extradition because he wanted to get back and demonstrate that the allegations against him are false.”

John Raposo, 35, was shot to death last June 18 on a crowded College St. patio while watching a European Cup soccer game on a big-screen television. Police said it was a gangland hit.

Four days later, police arrested alleged shooter Dean Wiwchar, 26, and charged him with first-degree murder. Two other men are also charged.

Earlier this week, detectives from Niagara Regional Police travelled to Europe and escorted Caputo on a plane that flew into Pearson International on Thursday, a police news release said. Caputo was transferred to St. Catharines where he faces conspiracy to import and traffic narcotics and criminal organization charges.

Lafontaine disputed the NRP’s claim that Caputo was detained in Germany after attempting to enter Poland using a false passport.

“Utterly and completely false,” he said. “He was arrested using his own legitimate passport and was nowhere near Poland and was not on his way anywhere.